How do we prevent conflicts of interest in project decisions?
Unmanaged decision conflictUse the organization's disclosure and decision procedures. Identify relevant interests, obtain appropriate independent review, and record how the decision remained fair and authorized.
What to do now
- Request relevant interest disclosures
- Assess the conflict with the responsible authority
- Arrange recusal or independent review as required
- Retain the decision evidence
When to escalate
Escalate when
A material conflict is concealed or cannot be managed locally.
Who decides
The sponsor or formally delegated governance body
Example
A selection panel member discloses a supplier relationship and follows the organization's recusal procedure.
Mistake to avoid
Assuming a familiar supplier relationship is automatically harmless.
Prevent a repeat
Review overdue decisions and confirm that decision makers have the authority and evidence they need.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Approvals
- Documents
- Projects
Attach the decision brief and evidence to a configured approval route only after confirming the actual authority and delegation rules. See the platform
Related cases
- How do we preserve an audit trail when decisions change?Destructive decision updates
- How do we manage decisions between governance meetings?Missing out-of-cycle decision route
- A stakeholder keeps reopening decisions. How can we stop endless debate?Unstable decision agreements
- A fixed-scope contract conflicts with continuous user feedback. How do we manage it?Commercial-learning mismatch